Sometimes when we have things we’d like to get done in our VA businesses, we get sidetracked.

You start out with good intentions.

You know it’s something important to finish.

But somehow things go wrong. You get overwhelmed with everything that’s involved or distracted with something else.

Here are my 5 best tips on how to get things done.

–1. Be really clear about the project you’d like to finish.

Make it something specific. For example, saying that you want to set up your virtual assistant business is too general. Choose one thing that will help you to make that happen. Let’s say that you’ve decided you want to create a website for your VA business. That would be a good, specific project.

–2. Know why the project is important.

Take a minute to define this. What will you gain by finishing this project? Write it down. Sometimes just seeing this on paper, and referring to it when you get distracted, will help you to keep moving forward.

In our “create a website” example, you might write down that you want to finish this project so that you have a home base online. Having a website will help people to find you, and get to know, like and trust you. It will be a place to make it clear the services that you offer and the people you help while showcasing your skills.

–3. What does “finished” look like to you?

This one is simple but important. You need to define your end result so that you know when you’ve completed the task. Your project needs a stop point. It could simply be that your website is fully complete with all pages finished, and the site is now live.

–4. Break it down.

The next tip is to list all of the tasks you’ll need to do in order to complete this project. Take some time and list every task involved in completing your project. The smaller you break down these things, the better.

If your goal was to create your website, some of those tasks might be to make a list of pages you need, outline each page, decide on colors and fonts, have a logo created, purchase a domain name and sign up for a hosting account.

–5. Schedule it.

This last tip, in my opinion, is the most important one of all. Now that you have your task list, assign a date to each to-do item. When scheduling, be realistic about the time it will take you to complete each task. Get it on your calendar, however that looks for you. You might schedule everything in Google calendar, write it into your daily planner or mark it out on a whiteboard calendar.

You can use and repeat this process for any project you’d like to complete in your business. It will help keep you on track and finish what you started.

Speaking of that, I’m hosting the Finish What You Started Challenge in the Marketing Mastermind for the month of March 2018. We’re going through these exact steps together as a group. Each group member is choosing a project they’d like to complete.

If you’d like help and support, and a chance to go through this process with me so that you can get things DONE in your VA business, join us!

Whether you’re getting ready for a new year ahead or you just want to feel that you have a guide to follow in order to create the virtual assistant business you really want, you need some kind of plan to make it happen.

In this video, I share with you my exact process for setting up my business for success, each and every year.

Take a look:

Things discussed in this video:

Use some type of planner or scheduling tool

Write down your goals

Always keep your goals in front of you

Create a schedule that works best for you

Work on daily tasks that will bring you to your goals

Want the step-by-step system that I use to plan out my business, as well as checklists and worksheets to track it all?

Whether you’re just starting your VA business or you’ve been at it for a while, having a business plan can really help you to stay on track and achieve your goals.

I absolutely love the time in between Christmas and New Year’s Day, because that’s when I get a lot of planning done for my virtual assistant mentoring business—as well as my personal life. It just seems like such a fitting time to work on things like this!

In this article, I’m going to break down my process for you. You can model this or choose pieces that work for you and make it your own.

Reflections and Lessons Learned

My first step was to look back on my goals for the previous year and how my business did, income-wise and in other ways as well. Did I achieve those goals? Why or why not?

When I ask these questions of myself, it’s not coming from a place of judgment. I don’t beat myself up if I didn’t hit a certain goal. Instead, I dive into the “why” of it all. If there is a goal I set but didn’t achieve, do I still have that goal for the new year? If so, what can I do differently this time?

Then I made a list of all the great things I did throughout the year that I’m proud of. These can be little and big things, like getting a new client or taking action on materials learned from an info product that I purchased. When I think there can’t be anything else to add to this list, I look over my planner and schedule from the past year to help jog my memory. That usually helps me think of more things to add. I read over this list, take some time to soak it in and be proud, and recognize what I have to be grateful for.

The Numbers

Next, I take a good, hard look at my numbers. Numbers totally freak me out–but that’s part of my old money story—so, I ditched that for 2016. I calculated what I need to pay bills and take care of household stuff. Then I calculated extra money for me, for self-care such as getting my nails done, massages or meals with friends. Then I noted how much I want to start saving.

Then I added up all business expenses. I took into account things like website hosting, memberships, supplies, courses and software. (If you need help figuring out expenses in your business, there’s a rate calculation worksheet in this article that will help with that.)

I broke that down into what I need to make yearly, then monthly, then weekly. To be honest, when I see it in black & white, that weekly number doesn’t seem so scary. Instead, I’m thinking, “I can totally do that!”

Scheduling

I also worked on my calendar for the year. I started with personal time that needed to be blocked off. I marked down all the days my son has off school, early dismissal or school activities. I marked down any vacations or family things, time to go to the gym and personal appointments that I have.

I figured out what hours I want to reserve as client time as well as business building and marketing time. I plugged all that in to the calendar. I saved it all in my Google calendar as well, which syncs with my client scheduling tool. That way, I know the hours someone sees to book with me are right, and I didn’t forget about a personal appointment or early dismissal, etc. (For the most part—but no one is perfect!)

Planning the Work

I’ve mapped out the first couple of months out of the year and what business building/marketing things I want to work on. I’m not sure that I’ll get the entire year mapped out, but I’m happy with the first three months at least.

I looked at themes or new products that I want to focus on. I factored in courses or programs that I run regularly a couple of times a year and plugged those into the calendar. I also noted any holidays or times of the year that I offer specials.

You can do this in your service-based business as well. You can look ahead and decide how many clients you want to work with for any given time period. What services or packages will you offer them? For how long? How many clients do you need per month to achieve your income goals? What marketing do you need to schedule on your calendar in order to make this a reality?

The Mental Aspect

I usually choose a word for the year–one that helps me focus on my goals and inspires me. But this year, it’s a quote.

“She believed she could, so she did.” ~R.S. Grey

It really encompasses how I’m feeling for my business and life this year. I plastered that baby everywhere! It’s my phone screen saver. It’s my computer screen saver. I printed a pretty version and hung it in my office. I was even looking at jewelry on Etsy that contained this quote!

I’ve also come up with some core desired feelings as well as affirmations for each that I can say daily. Here’s how I did that. I thought about how I really want to feel in business and in life. Then I chose five words—feelings—that I want to feel daily. It doesn’t have to be five—that’s just what I settled on. Then I created a positive affirmation for each one.

For example, one of my words is “healthy.” So then I thought, “What does feeling healthy mean to me?” Then I came up with, “My body feels healthy and fit. I thank her for all she does for me by giving her nourishing foods and fun movement.”

Now I can say these affirmations each day to start my morning.

There you have it! That’s my business and life yearly planning in a nutshell.

Do you see any patterns here? It’s not just hoping and wishing. I develop a plan, I map it out, I put it in front of me so that I see it every single day—and then I take ACTION! That’s the most important part right there.

So how about you? Are you ready to do this for yourself? If so, I invite you to check out the Ulitmate VA Business Planning Blueprint. It gives you my entire process, step by step, in great detail. Grab a copy of that today and let me know YOUR plan for your awesome business!

You know that saying about the best laid plans, right? Well, what do you do when you’ve scheduled out the week for your virtual assistant business, but it doesn’t go quite as you planned?

Let me tell you what happened to me.

Last week, I had everything for my business all planned out, including client work, some VA mentoring calls, running my marketing challenge, finishing a list building product, a live webinar and a Google Hangout.

And then my internet became spotty. It would drop unexpectedly and then start working again. And then it stopped working altogether. I was not a happy camper! I called the cable company and they said it was probably the modem. They could have a technician bring out a new one, but it wouldn’t be until late Friday afternoon. Friday afternoon?!

First, I kind of freaked out. How was I going to get everything done with no internet? And what about the live webinar and Google Hangouts where I’d be a guest? People were counting on me!

Then I took a breath and assessed my situation. Part of the reason that I wanted to live this lifestyle was so that I wouldn’t be chained to a desk in an office for the better part of my day. I could take my work anywhere I liked, couldn’t I?

My neighbors happened to be on vacation and I was feeding their cat and watering their plants for them that week. They had a home office space, and internet access. I asked if I could use their house for a couple of days, and of course, they said yes.

So I packed up my laptop and a couple of important items and headed next door to continue on with my work week. I was able to get my client work done, pare down some other work I had scheduled and rock out the webinar and the Hangout!

So, how did I go from a place of panic to a place of confidence when faced with this situation?

Gratitude

First, I practiced gratitude. I’m thankful for the fact that I can pick up and work anywhere. I’m thankful that I had a working laptop and neighbors who were generous. I’m thankful that my son had no problem grabbing some toys to stay occupied and tagging along with me.

Flexibility

We have to be flexible in life. Sometimes things don’t always go as we imagine, and we have to roll with it and go with Plan B. Sometimes we even have to go with Plan C or D!

Sure, there was a crazy moment during the live Hangout where the neighbor’s cat jumped up in the window behind where I was sitting, had a sneezing fit and then was chased around by my son. But this is real life! (By the way, that Hangout has great tips for creating a summer schedule for your VA biz.)

My point with all of this is to remind you that you are no longer stuck in a cubicle all day. You make your own schedule and can work where you like! If it’s nice out, get outside. Take more breaks and enjoy time with your family.

Remember to be flexible. Maybe there’s a reason that things don’t always go as we planned. Maybe the new plan is even better.

And don’t forget to practice gratitude. When you start thinking about all of the things that aren’t going right, try to remember the awesome things that you do have in life.

These tips will help you to switch your mindset so that you can go from a place of panic to a place of confidence, too!

Do you have any other tips for how to handle things that life throws at you? Leave them in the comments.